We got to speak with French electro trio Bon Entendeur about their music including their second studio album, Minuit (English translation: Midnight), which is now available on all streaming platforms. Founded in 2012, Bon Entendeur is Nicolas Boisseleau, Arnaud Bonet and Pierre Della. Their sound is a mix of electronic music fused with disco, funk, and hip hop. We talk about the process of creating the album during the covid-19 pandemic, the music scene in France, and lots more.
Check out what the band had to say!
How excited were you to release your sophomore album, Minuit?
Really excited of course! Releasing a second album is always a special moment as you know. It’s stressful and exciting at the same time because you can’t know if your fanbase will understand and enjoy it. Finally, it has been well received by listeners, so it’s a relief for us. Plus, we released our second album on the 25th of June [2021], which is at the same time as when gigs resumed and covid was moving away with the return of summer, so it was an exceptional moment in every way.
How was the overall experience working on Minuit?
Our second album has been through a really special time: the first worldwide lockdown in decades. We decided to change a bit our way to work and tried as much as possible to translate in those 16 tracks the mindset we were in during those days. Especially on the B-side (also called “Night side”), where our remixes are way more dynamic and made for clubbing. We wanted to make people dance during this terrible period.
How would you overall describe the sound of Bon Entendeur?
That’s a good question. We’d say intergenerational, definitely positive, maybe melancholic but not nostalgic. In fact, it’s kind of a bridge between the past and the present. Take songs from yesterday and refresh them with the technology available today.
Talk a little bit about the growth of the French music scene. Any
current genres or trends that you have noticed?
Definitely yes! For several years now, the dominant genre is definitely “urban music”. It has literally been a tsunami in France for the past 5 years now. Take the top 10 Spotify, Shazam or YouTube trends in France, it’s always rap music. The French electronic scene is also defending itself well! I am thinking of house music especially, from our friends like Polo & Pan, Folamour, Bellaire, Kungs or even Ofenback, to mention just a few. Whatever their musical style, it is a pleasure to see these artists spreading out French culture.
When people listen to your music, what are you hoping they get
out of it?
Well, we stopped trying to anticipate what people will think or feel when they listen to our music. If our music can make people feel emotions when listening to it, we think the job is already done. Now we let people get whatever they want from our music.
What advice would you have for upcoming musicians?
You’re going to say it sounds a bit like advice coming straight from an American movie haha but we’d say: Never give up. Today, we feel incredibly lucky to share and play our music almost all around the world. We are aware of it, but to reach this point we had to work for “nothing” for so many years! Even if your work doesn’t pay instantly, do not give up and keep doing the hard work.
What’s next for Bon Entendeur?
Honestly, no idea. We don’t know if we will be able to play during the winter this year [2022], so the future is quite uncertain. However, to finish on a positive note, we’re working on our second compilation “Bon Entendeur Records #002” (we’re also a kind of label now) which will be released in December 2021.
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Stream Minuit here.
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